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Last Friday was the first day of Fall...
It would have been great to signal the change of seasons
with an apple picking excursion
or a day of making hearty soups...
Instead, it was a no school day
and I hosted two play dates
while trying to get some housework done...
It's like pushing a rope uphill,
tidying the house,
when four kids are doing their best to crap it up...
I gave up when I saw the boys
whittling faces in some potatoes,
peels a-flyin' all over the kitchen floor....
Fall sort of arrived earlier when Lee,
the Wood Guy, dropped by...
He and Tom have some sort of ESP thing going...
Just as Tom mentions that it's time for Lee
to cruise the neighborhood in his truck laden with wood,
less than five minutes later Lee calls....
It's weird...
But there he is, stacking the cord of wood
and we are all set for winter...
Earlier last week, I found the Fall bin at the factory...
We blew the half inch or so of factory dust off the lid
and Kate helped me change the house from summer to fall...
Same old decorations each year....
I feel like the 60 year old teacher
who puts up the same pictures on the bulletin boards
and they have 400 push pin holes in them...
Moline friends...that was Betty Roseberg!
Anyway, maybe when the fall sales hit this year,
I will head over to Pier One
to freshen up the fall decor a bit...
I kind of like mixing the fall things around...
Helps keep it fresh, I guess...
Tonight I made one fall-ish dish...
Squash Casserole, courtesy of Trisha Yearwood
and her awesome cookbook,
Honest, the kids even liked it...
We also had Flat Roasted Chicken,
a fave recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn's
go to cookbook,
So fall is here and there will be time to cook
many comforting dishes...
I am looking forward to raking the leaves
and watching the kids pile into them.
Wish we could burn the leaves, too....
I love that smell...
The maple tree down the street is just starting to turn color...
I do love this season...
Creamy Squash Casserole
2 pounds yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced 1 inch thick
Small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and diced
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, divided use
1 large egg
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup butter crackers, such as Ritz, crushed (about 12 crackers)
Difficulty level: Easy
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
Place the sliced squash and the onion in a medium saucepan with about a cup of water and teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and cool.
Put the squash into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer; the mixture should remain kind of chunky. Add the egg, mayonnaise, cheese, remaining teaspoon salt and the pepper and mix until combined. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared dish, top with the crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes.
Makes 12 servings.
2 pounds yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced 1 inch thick
Small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and diced
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, divided use
1 large egg
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup butter crackers, such as Ritz, crushed (about 12 crackers)
Difficulty level: Easy
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
Place the sliced squash and the onion in a medium saucepan with about a cup of water and teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and cool.
Put the squash into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer; the mixture should remain kind of chunky. Add the egg, mayonnaise, cheese, remaining teaspoon salt and the pepper and mix until combined. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared dish, top with the crumbs, and bake for 30 minutes.
Makes 12 servings.
Flat Roast Chicken
For a speedy way to make roast chicken, cut the backbone out and lay the whole bird flat. The technique will allow you to cook it in under an hour.
From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).
Serving size: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
• 1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove; discard or reserve for broth, if desired. Open the chicken's legs and spread the bird down flat, skin side up. Press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten. Pat dry with paper towels; season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add chicken, skin-side down, to skillet. Let brown without moving, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken, taking care not to break the skin; transfer skillet to oven.
3. Roast chicken until golden brown and cooked through or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 165 degrees. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.
4. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and remaining tablespoon butter to pan, swirling to combine; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and pinch of salt. Cut chicken into pieces and serve immediately drizzled with olive oil mixture and pan sauce.
For a speedy way to make roast chicken, cut the backbone out and lay the whole bird flat. The technique will allow you to cook it in under an hour.
From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).
Serving size: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
• 1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove; discard or reserve for broth, if desired. Open the chicken's legs and spread the bird down flat, skin side up. Press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten. Pat dry with paper towels; season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add chicken, skin-side down, to skillet. Let brown without moving, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken, taking care not to break the skin; transfer skillet to oven.
3. Roast chicken until golden brown and cooked through or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 165 degrees. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.
4. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and remaining tablespoon butter to pan, swirling to combine; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and pinch of salt. Cut chicken into pieces and serve immediately drizzled with olive oil mixture and pan sauce.
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